Roll changing device

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to a roll changing device for a rolling mill including two side shifting platforms arranged in front of the mill, each having a pair of tracks for supporting a pair of rolls, one pair having been removed from the mill to be replaced by the second pair once the first pair is side shifted away from the front of the mill to position the second pair in front of the mill. Each platform also includes an opening for receiving a gear rack arranged to have its teeth projecting upwardly. On the side of the platforms remote from the mill a carriage is arranged having a motor driven pinion that engages an extension of one of the gear racks of the platforms when arranged in front of the mill, the carriage being employed to push and pull a pair of rolls to and from the mill. When not in use, the gear racks of the platforms are covered by plates selectively movable over the openings.

United States Patent [191 Shumaker 1 1 ROLL CHANGING DEVICE [75]Inventor: Charles Storer Shumaker,

Glenshaw, Pa. [73] Assignee: Wean United, lnc., Pittsburgh, Pa. [22]Filed: June 14, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 262,811

Primary Examiner-Milton S. Mehr Attorney-Henry C. Westin [4 1 Dec.18,1973

[57] ABSTRACT This disclosure relates to a roll changing device for arolling mill including two side shifting platforms arranged in front ofthe mill, each having a pair of tracks for supporting a pair of rolls,one pair having been removed from the mill to be replaced by the secondpair once the first pair is side shifted away from the front of the millto position the second pair in front of the mill. Each platform alsoincludes an opening for receiving a gear rack arranged to have its teethprojecting upwardly. On the side of the platforms remote from the mill acarriage is arranged having a motor driven pinion that engages anextension of one of the gear racks of the platforms when arranged infront of the mill, the carriage being employed to push and pull a pairof rolls to and from the mill. When not in use, the gear racks of theplatforms are covered by plates selectively movable over the openings.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures I I 9 i l I l I" N \l 1 o 'l I -J I i I L.JJ \1 if:

PATENTEU 3.779.061

sum 2 or 5 FIG. 3

PAIENIEBUEM 81975 som anra n wI 1 ROLL CHANGING DEVICE Many attemptshave been made in recent years to reduce the downtime involved inchanging the rolls of a rolling mill, particularly the work rolls of a4-high tandem mill. While a great measure of success has been realizedby these efforts, the apparatuses, which vary substantially in operationand construction, have had the disadvantage of being very costlybothfrom the standpoint of initial expense and maintenance.

It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide a rollchanging device which will be, at least, equal in efficiency to presentdevices, but which will be much more economical to manufacture andoperate, in addition to providing added safety for the workmen andcomponents of the device.

More particularly, the present invention provides a roll changingdevice, including a support means, arranged in front of the mill forsupporting a roll to be removed or inserted into the mill, means fortransferring a roll to and from said support means relative to the mill,said means including a gear rack, at least a portion of which passesthrough an opening provided in the support means, and a cover means forselectively exposing and covering the gear rack so that in the exposedcondition the gear rack can be engaged by the transfer means in orderthat a roll can be moved to and from the support means, and in thecovered condition the opening is covered to prevent damage to the gearrack and avoid injury to workmen.

These objects as well as other novel features and advantages of thepresent invention will be better understood when the followingdescription of a preferred form thereof is read along with theaccompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a roll changing device incorporating thefeatures of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a continuation of the right-hand side of FIG. 1; illustratingin plan a rolling mill.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on lines 4 4 of FIG. I; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4.

In referring first to FIG, 2 a 4-high rolling mill is diagramaticallyshown by two windowed housings 11 and 12 and one of two backup rolls 13.FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are meant to depict the mill condition when a worn setof work rolls is still in the mill in readiness, to be removed therefromwhile a set of new work rolls awaits transfer to the mill once the wornset is removed.

Referring to FIG. 2 on the operating side of the mill there is provideda removable platform 16 arranged at the same general elevation as thebottom of the lower work roll when in the mill and adapted to bridge anopening 17 in front of the mill 10. The opening is provided tofacilitate the removal of the backup rolls of the mill, the removedposition being shown in phantom in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The backup rollsare brought to this phantom position by operation of a piston cylinderassembly shown in FIG. 3. The platform 16 has a pair of parallel tracks18 that extend over its entire length for cooperating with similartracks arranged in the mill, not shown, on which the pair of work rollsare carried during their transport to and from the mill.

FIGS. 1 and 3 show the construction at the left of FIG. 2 with which thepresent invention is primarily concerned. Spaced from the front of themill 10 at the elevation of the platform 16 is a side shifting mechanism21. The side shifting mechanism comprises a series of platforms, FIG. 1showing two complete ones at 22 and 23 and a portion of a third one at.24; there being two platforms for a mill stand in which the platform 24is provided to accommodate an adjacent interior mill stand, not shown,of a tandem mill arrangement.

Shown in FIG. 3 the platforms are supported by a common subframe 26having at its lower surface a pair of slides that engage rails 27arranged to allow the platforms to move parallel and in unison to thesteel line of the mill so that one or the other of the platforms can bepositioned in front of the windows of the housings 11 and 12.

This movement is accomplished by a single piston cylinder assembly 28,shown only in FIGS. 1 and 4 and having a stroke approximately equal tothe width of one of the platforms 22 or 23. Each platform 22 and 23 isprovided with a pair of tracks 31 and 32 that are spaced at distanceswith respect to each platform equal to the spacing of the tracks 18 ofthe platform 16. Hence, the tracks 31 and 32 of each platform 22 and 23,when positioned in front of the mill 10, serve as continuations of thetracks 18.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 at the top of each platform 22 and 23openings 33 are provided which, as shown in FIG. I, extend over theirentire lengths. In these openings are provided gear racks 34 arranged tohave their teeth projecting upwardly towards the tops of the openings.The openings 33 are selectively covered, which condition is shown in thedrawings, by cover plates 37 best shown in FIG. 5 where they are shownto have lower flat surfaces that rest upon the top surfaces of the gearracks 34.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cover plates 37 extend over the gear racks andat their left sides are each connected to a pair of upper arms 38 of alever system 39 which are pivotally supported by stands 42, the lowerends of the lever systems being connected to separate piston cylinderassemblies 43. As shown in FIG. 4, the piston cylinder assemblies aswell as the lever systems 39 are carried by and moved with the subframe26 on operation of the piston cylinder'assembly 28.

In FIG. 5 it will be noted that the platforms 22 and 23 at the adjacentleft side of the openings 33 are chamfered at 44 to allow the coverplates 37 more case in moving to and from the gear racks. FIG. 5 alsoillustrates, in phantom, one of the cover plates 37 in its retractedcondition where it is, supported by the upper surface of the platform,the platform having two slots 45 for receiving the arms 38 The mainreason for providing the cover plates is to avoid foreign materialfalling into the gear racks that would interfere with their use andprevent a workman from inadvertently stepping into the openings 33. Thegear racks are used to assist in motivating a roll transporting carriage47.

As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 the carriage is supported by a subframe48 arranged at the same elevation as the subframe 26, and has on itsupper surface a pair of tracks 51 that line up with the tracks 31 and 32and tracks 18. The carriage is motivated by being provided with twopairs of wheels 52 that roll over the tracks 31, 32 and 18 and by apinion 53 that meshes with the gear racks 34 and an uncovered extensionthereof 54 supported by the subframe 48; The pinion is driven by haviing a sprocket 57 secured to its axle which, in turn, is

driven by a second sprocket 58 secured to a drive shaft of a motor gearreducing unit 59, carried by the carriage 47.

The carriage at its front is provided with a hook 61 pivotally operatedby a piston cylinder assembly 62 and a pushing ram 63. The hook and ramcooperate with portions of the bearing chock assembly of one of the workrolls to effect movement in opposite directions, i.e., towards and awayfrom the mill 10. FIGS. 1 and 3 show a set of new work rolls 64 arrangedon the platform 22 in readiness for insertion into the mill after theworn set, not shown, has been removed from the mill. As shown, the newroll set is transferred as a unit in accordance with well-known practiceover wheels 65 that engage the tracks 31 and 32 and the tracks 18 aswell as the tracts in the mill. Of course, the worn work roll set willbe identical in construction to the new work roll set 64.

In operating the carriage 47 to first remove a worn work roll set fromthe mill 1 0 the cover plate 37 of the platform 23 is retracted toexpose its gear rack 34. This allows the carriage to be brought from itsinoperative position shown in FIG. 1 to a position where its hook 61 canbe caused to engage one of the adjacent chocks of the worn work rollset. After this is accomplished, the carriage is retracted to positionthe worn set of work rolls on the platform 23, disengage from the chockand move to its inoperative position so that the piston cylinderassembly 28 of the side shifting mechanism 21 can be operated to removethe worn work roll set from in front of the mill and at the same timeposition the new work roll set 64 into a position in front of the mill,the new work roll set being supported at this time by the platform 22.The carriage 47 is then operated from its inoperative position to pushby contact with its ram 63 the new work roll set into the mill, in

which the set will pass over the tracks of the platform 22 and platform16.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that theabove-described embodiment of the present invention can be modifiedwithout departing from the scope of the invention. By way of exampleonly, the gear racks 34 can be extended into the platform 16, andprovided with cover plates thereby allowing a shorter carriage to beemployed and the cover plates can be constructed in the form of a hingedgate.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, l haveexplained the principle and operation of my invention and haveillustrated and described what I consider to represent the bestembodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a roll changing device for a rolling mill or the like having aplurality of rolls received in a window thereof,

a support means arranged in front of said window of said mill forreceiving a roll to be inserted into and removed from said window,

means for transferring a roll from said window to said support means andfrom said support means to said window,

said means including a gear rack, at least a portion of which passesthrough said support means,

said support means having an opening at its upper surface for receivingsaid gear rack,

21 cover means for selectively opening and closing said opening so thatin said open condition said gear rack is exposed for engagement by saidtransfer means and in the closed condition said gear rack is covered,

said cover means including a plate having a surface adapted to besupportable by said gear rack when in its closed condition,

a lever system connected to said plate, and

a piston cylinder assembly connected to said lever system for movingsaid plate into and out of said closed condition.

2. In a roll changing device according to claim 1 wherein said supportmeans includes a surface for supporting said plate when in said opencondition,

said support means adjacent said surface and said opening havin achamfer edge engageable by said plate when said plate is moved to andfrom said closed condition.

3. In a roll changing device for a rolling mill or the like having aplurality of rolls received in a window thereof,

a support means arranged in front of said window of said mill forreceiving a roll to be inserted into and removed from said window,

means for transferring a roll from said window to said support means andfrom said support means to said window,

said means including a gear rack, at least a portion of which passesthrough said support means,

said support means having an opening at its upper surface for receivingsaid gear rack,

a cover means for selectively opening and closing said opening so thatin said open condition said gear rack is exposed for engagement by saidtransfer means and in the closed condition said gear rack is covered,

said support means comprising a side shifting mechanism with respect tosaid mill and having at least two interconnected supporting platforms,each for supporting a roll,

first and second portions of said gear rack arranged in a different oneof said platforms and side shiftable therewith,

a third portion of said gear rack being arranged on the side of saidsupport means opposite said mill,

means for moving said platforms in unison to alternately position theplatforms in front of said window where the gear rack portions thereofline up with said third portion of said gear rack,

one of said openings being provided in each platform, for receiving adifferent one of said first and second portions of said gear racks,

one of said cover means being provided for each opening, and

independent means secured to a different one of said platforms andmovable therewith for moving said cover means into said selectivepositions.

1. In a roll changing device for a rolling mill or the like having aplurality of rolls received in a window thereof, a support meansarranged in front of said window of said mill for receiving a roll to beinserted into and removed from said window, means for transferring aroll from said window to said support means and from said support meansto said window, said means including a gear rack, at least a portion ofwhich passes through said support means, said support means having anopening at its upper surface for receiving said gear rack, a cover meansfor selectively opening and closing said opening so that in said opencondition said gear rack is exposed for engagement by said transfermeans and in the closed condition said gear rack is covered, said covermeans including a plate having a surface adapted to be supportable bysaid gear rack when in its closed condition, a lever system connected tosaid plate, and a piston cylinder assembly connected to said leversystem for moving said plate into and out of said closed condition. 2.In a roll changing device accOrding to claim 1 wherein said supportmeans includes a surface for supporting said plate when in said opencondition, said support means adjacent said surface and said openinghavin a chamfer edge engageable by said plate when said plate is movedto and from said closed condition.
 3. In a roll changing device for arolling mill or the like having a plurality of rolls received in awindow thereof, a support means arranged in front of said window of saidmill for receiving a roll to be inserted into and removed from saidwindow, means for transferring a roll from said window to said supportmeans and from said support means to said window, said means including agear rack, at least a portion of which passes through said supportmeans, said support means having an opening at its upper surface forreceiving said gear rack, a cover means for selectively opening andclosing said opening so that in said open condition said gear rack isexposed for engagement by said transfer means and in the closedcondition said gear rack is covered, said support means comprising aside shifting mechanism with respect to said mill and having at leasttwo interconnected supporting platforms, each for supporting a roll,first and second portions of said gear rack arranged in a different oneof said platforms and side shiftable therewith, a third portion of saidgear rack being arranged on the side of said support means opposite saidmill, means for moving said platforms in unison to alternately positionthe platforms in front of said window where the gear rack portionsthereof line up with said third portion of said gear rack, one of saidopenings being provided in each platform, for receiving a different oneof said first and second portions of said gear racks, one of said covermeans being provided for each opening, and independent means secured toa different one of said platforms and movable therewith for moving saidcover means into said selective positions.